Single Parents' Group – Katente

In 2014, Advantage Africa and SPAU helped 60 vulnerable families in the Katente Single Parents’ Group in rural Mukono District, south-east Uganda, to improve their health and incomes.

The most pressing community priority was access to safe water so the provision of a borehole was met with great celebration. At least 700 children and adults now use the borehole on a daily basis. It also serves 640 pupils and staff in local schools and 60 patients a day at the health centre. Community members pay 50 Ugandan Shillings (about 1p) for each jerrycan towards running costs and maintenance. Life for people in Katente has been transformed as they no longer spend hours walking to distant sources or suffer from debilitating water-borne diseases.

The water has also helped Katente’s single parents to earn an income and meet their families’ basic needs. 35 parents were trained to keep poultry and 25 to rear pigs and have significantly improved their families’ nutrition and incomes. A further 20 vulnerable families have benefited from the rolling programme of income-generation and received livestock and support from the 60 original group members.

The project also included training and bed nets to prevent malaria for the 100 most vulnerable households in the community. Single parent William said, 'Since now I am aware of all the causes and preventive measures of malaria, it will no longer be a threat to my homestead as it was'.

Memory work training helped the 60 single parents cope practically and psychologically with the impact of HIV and many have since been able to discover and disclose their HIV status.

80 orphaned and vulnerable children, chosen with the Katente community received health kits including mattresses, sheets, blankets and dental care.

Across the whole of the Katente community, with safe water, sustainable incomes and better health, there is now a palpable spirit of cohesion, hope and mutual support.